"The Thing With Feathers" By Noah Strycker

Birds are highly intelligent animals, yet their intelligence is dramatically different from our own and has been little understood. As scientists come to understand more about the secrets of bird life, they are unlocking fascinating insights into memory, game theory, and the nature of intelligence itself.

The Thing with Feathers explores the astonishing homing abilities of pigeons, the good deeds of fairy-wrens, the influential flocking abilities of starlings, the deft artistry of bowerbirds, the extraordinary memories of nutcrackers, the lifelong loves of albatross, and other mysteries—revealing why birds do what they do, and offering a glimpse into our own nature.

Noah Strycker is a birder and naturalist who has traveled the world in pursuit of his subjects. Drawing deep from personal experience, cutting-edge science, and colorful history, he spins captivating stories about the birds in our midst and reveals the intimate coexistence of birds and humans.

In the spring of 2010, one lone Steppe Eagle was shot down on a firing range in Afghanistan. Fortunately, help was available from former Army Ranger Scott Hickman and his buddy, Navy SEAL Greg Wright, who took him in and gave him the healing he needed. They named him Mitch.